Vibration reducing golf glove

ABSTRACT

A vibration reducing golf glove, which includes a front panel for covering the inner portion of a wearer&#39;s hand and fingers, a thumb section for covering the wearer&#39;s thumb which is coupled to the front panel, and a back panel for covering the outer portion of a wearer&#39;s hand and fingers. Vibration reducing thick leather is coupled independently to the front panel at the palm, thumb and finger areas for reducing the degree of vibration. As a result, the vibration reducing golf glove provides a reduction in the vibration and shock transmitted to the wearer&#39;s and at the time a shock or vibration is applied to the outer surface of the glove.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention is generally directed to the design of a golf glove and,in particular, to an improved golf glove which will reduce thevibration, shock and jarring caused by striking a golf ball.

Players of sports in which there is a moment of impact between a club,bat or racquet with a ball incur violent vibrations that are transmittedthrough their hands and up their arms. For people suffering from “tenniselbow”, “golfer's elbow”, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and otherafflictions of the joints, tendons, muscles and bones, these vibrationsand shock can be excruciatingly painful, can create further damage andcan even cause them to abandon their sport.

For example, many older golfers cannot play a full game because of theirdisabilities and have a need for a glove which cushions the shocks andjarring of ball striking.

Many attempts have been made to cushion these vibrations through theaddition of conventional shock absorbing materials to the palm of sportsgloves. None of these have succeeded commercially because of theirfunctional problems. To absorb the vibrations, the materials appliedhave been bulky, heavy, hot to wear and stiff, all factors which inhibita player's performance and enjoyment. In the past, the shock resistantmaterials have been composed of synthetic hollow celled foams or otherrubber-like materials or gels. In addition to the discomfort associatedwith these materials there is a substantial loss of feel for the golfglove, bat or racquet which interferes with participation in the sport.

In particular, a golf glove must be very thin and flexible to fit thewearer's hand exactly and to allow a good “feel” of the club. Bulk,thick or stiff materials undermine the utility of the glove.Furthermore, the United States Golf Association sets rules for equipment“legal” for tournament play and any glove with artificially addedpadding is disqualified. Most golfers, even if not tournament players,want to use conforming equipment. Beyond allowing afflicted players tocontinue enjoying their sport, a vibration reducing glove can actuallyhelp to prevent more damage or injury to the affected tendons or joints.

Golfer's elbow is caused by damage to the tendons connecting the largemuscles of the forearm to the small bones of the elbow. In golfing, theleading elbow (the left arm for a right handed golfer), absorbs morevibration than the trailing elbow (the right arm for a right handedgolfer), because the lead elbow must be kept straight. A vibrationreducing glove on the left hand (or the right hand of a left handedgolfer), where gloves are already worn, would reduce much of the harmfulvibration.

In addition, many older players suffer from arthritis in their hands andfingers and shy away from firmly gripping their club, racquet or batwhich diminishes their performance. With a vibration reducing glove,they are again able to take a firm grip without suffering as much, ifany, pain. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved vibrationreducing sports glove, which does not inhibit the wearer's performance,which will be legal for tournament play, and maintains a good sense offeel through the glove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is generally directed to a vibration reducing sports glovewhich includes a palm panel of the glove for covering at least the innersurface of a wearer's hand and fingers, a thumb panel for covering thewearer's thumb, secured to the palm panel, a back panel of the glove forcovering the outer portion of a wearer's hand and fingers and vibrationreducing pad means coupled to at least one of the palm panel and thethumb panel, wherein the vibration reducing pad means includes at leastone panel of a natural air-filled hollow interior leather.

The invention is also generally directed to a vibration reducing golfglove constructed in accordance with glove technology with vibrationreducing members added in the palm area of the glove, including at leastone or more of deer skin, elk skin or moose hide pads affixed tocritical shock areas of the glove palm, sewn onto the inside surface ofthe palm, the deer skin, elk skin or moose hide being tanned inaccordance with the same process as the basic glove leather so as toassure compatibility with the glove and texture, feel, stretchabilityand color so that it does not detract from the golfer's focus in feelingand gripping the glove and breathes freely for comfort.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improvedvibration reducing sports glove incorporating tanned deer skin, elk skinor moose hide pads in critical, shock absorbent regions.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improvedvibration reducing sports glove in which thin, shock absorbent tannedleathers are attached to the inside of the palm and thumb of a golfglove so as to significantly improve vibration reduction withoutnegatively affecting the feel of the club through the glove.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofassembling a vibration reducing sports glove by tanning the basic outerglove and inner shock resistant pads in accordance with a similarprocess and then assembling the inner pads to the outer gloves so thatflexibility and feel are maintained along with increased vibrationreduction.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved sportglove which includes vibration reducing pads at critical locationsassociated with a particular sport without interfering with the fit orfeel of the glove.

Still yet a further object of the invention is to provide an improvedvibration reducing glove for use in industrial applications which bringthe wearer's hands and arms in contact with shock and vibration over anextended period of time but which require a good sense of feel throughthe glove and cannot tolerate thick vibration reducing padding.

Yet still a further object of the invention is to provide an improvedvibration reducing sport glove which protects the vibration reducingpads between adjacent layers of leather or other material so that thevibration reducing characteristics of the pads are not deteriorated.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part beobvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe invention will be indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the palm side of a vibration reducinggolf glove constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the back of a golf glove constructed inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the palm side of a golf gloveconstructed in accordance with another preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the inside of the palm of a gloveconstructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the inside of the palm of a gloveconstructed in accordance with another preferred embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the front and back panels 101and 130 respectively, of a glove 100 that is constructed in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the invention is depicted. Glove 100includes thumb section 102 and fingers: index finger 111; middle finger112; ring finger 113; and small finger 114. In addition, in accordancewith golf ball technology, the four fingers are separated by gussets orfourchettes 121, 122, and 123, of an expandable material, which includesthe side panels 140, 141 and an elastic strip 142 sewn in over theknuckle area with stitching 157.

A thumb section 102 is sewn to the inside of the front panel 101 withstitching 153. A thick leather thumb portion 115 is sewn to the insideof the thumb section 102 with stitching 158.

A thick leather palm portion 117 is sewn to the inside of the frontpanel 101 with stitching 154. This palm portion 117 is of the samematerial construction as the thick leather thumb portion 115.

A thick leather finger portion 118 is sewn to the inside of the frontpanel 101 with stitching 155. This finger portion 118 is of the samematerial construction as thumb and palm portions 115, 117. The fingerportion 118 extends around the index finger 111 and is made integralwith the back panel 130 with stitching 156. Extending the thick leathermaterial around to the index finger section of the back panel 130eliminates the need for stitching along the index finger 111.

All the thick leather portions 115, 117, and 118 are made from the sameleather material which is about 0.9 to 1.2 mm thick. The thin front andback leather panels 101 are constructed of the same thin leather ofabout 0.3 to 0.6 mm thick. The thin leather that makes up the glove willbe made from such leathers as cowhide, sheepskin or goat skin, orsynthetic leathers, whereas the thick leather portions 115, 117 and 118will be made of leather such as deerskin, elk skin or moose hide. Thethin leather is about 0.3 to 0.6 mm thick while the thick leather isabout 0.9 to 1.2 mm thick. The thiclk

Golf gloves are generally made from cowhide, sheepskin or goat skin.These leathers are very compact by nature, strong and excellent intransmitting an accurate “feel” of a golf club. However, because oftheir compact nature they also have little or no ability to absorb thesignificant vibrations and shock imparted at the moment of striking aball at very high velocities, which is the main cause of tendon damageand pain in players. In contrast, deer skin, elk skin and moose hidehave entirely different fiber structures than these other “gloving”leathers. Nature evolved the skin structure to insulate these northernanimals from the harsh winter conditions they must endure. Deer, elk andmoose leather, therefore, has an air filled hollow interior and fluffyfiber structure with excellent vibration and shock absorbingcharacteristics and properties. However, it does not have sufficienttensile strength, when shaved to the necessary thinness for sportgloves, to be used satisfactorily for an entire glove. A resulting glovemade entirely from these leathers would either be too thick to bepractical or rip in use.

The grain surface of deer, elk or moose leather, if used as the exteriorof a sport glove, would tend to peel and delaminate very quickly. Theobject of the invention to incorporate the vibration and shock reducingcapabilities of deer skin, elk skin or moose skin as underlying sectionsin key shock areas of sports gloves, thereby enabling players withtendinitis, arthritis or other joint, bone or muscle problems tocontinue to enjoy their sports without pain or discomfort and to reducefurther damage to the afflicted parts. By underlying the basic glovematerial, the weak nature of the deer skin, elk skin or moose hide isprotected. Unlike synthetic shock absorbers, these natural shockabsorbers act in concert with the natural leather of the body of theglove, breathe freely for comfort, mold to the player's hand for perfectfit and transmit a good feel of the player's golf club.

A golf club is gripped by the golfer and cradled between the fingers andthe thumb. When the golfer swings the club, the club accelerates as itmakes contact with the golf ball, and the result is a substantial shockor jarring force imparted to the golf club at the head of the golf club.Since the head is at the opposite end of the golf club from the handle,this has the effect of magnifying the effects of the shock at the handleend, and particularly, where the golf ball is not struck cleanly orwhere the golfer has taken a divot which results in the club headimpacting the ground either before, during or after contact with theball, additional jarring is present.

In the preferred embodiment the deerskin has been tanned by the sameprocess as the basic glove leather so that it is completely compatiblewith the glove in texture, feel, stretchability and color so it does notdetract from the golfers focus in feeling and gripping the glove and inaddition it breathes freely for comfort. In a preferred embodiment thisincludes a combination of chrome and syntans (synthetic tanning agents).The thickness of the deerskin can be kept at a relatively small value sothat it does not unduly affect the golfer's feel of the club.

Although the above description has focused on the benefits of thevibration reducing glove technology in a golf glove, this is merely arepresentative example of the use of the technology. The technology isalso useful in connection with baseball batting gloves, tennis,racquetball, squash and other racquet sport gloves, driving gloves,bicycle gloves, football gloves, soccer goalie's gloves, ping ponggloves and other sport gloves.

It is also applicable to industrial gloves which are designed for finework where an accurate and close feel is required, but there isvibration or shock associated with the work. For example, woodcraftsmen, when using power equipment, which must be handled with greatcare and detail, must ordinarily suffer significant vibration to avoidallowing the work object from slipping. With a thin glove constructed inaccordance with the invention incorporating a deerskin, elk skin ormoose hide pad or pads, their grip and feel is unaffected, but thevibration transmitted to their hand is substantially reduced.

Various types of leathers can be used in accordance with the invention,including conventional glove leathers tanned with primary chrome tanningand secondary tanning with syntans including special additives to impartdesired characteristics to the leather. Also, leather gloves asmanufactured in accordance with U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,759,706, and 6,052,827and sold by Bali Leathers, Inc. under the Graflex.®. name, may includegraphite in the fiber of the gloves. The graphite particles provideadditional shock and vibration reduction due to the way in which thegraphite particles, bonded to the leather fibers, tend to slidelaterally to distribute and absorb some of the vibration on the glove.Combined with the deerskin pads in accordance with applicant'sinvention, a heightened degree of vibration reduction is provided.

Applicant has developed testing in connection with the vibrationreducing aspects of the sport glove technology in accordance with theinvention. A test has been configured in which the leather is placed ona particularly hard, stable surface, such as marble or granite, and asteel ball bearing is dropped from a standardized height onto theleather. To the extent that there is little or no vibration reduction bya panel of the glove the ball bearing would be expected to rebound to aheight equivalent to the height it would bounce up to in the absence ofany glove panel on the hard surface. In contrast, where the glove panel,incorporating the vibration reducing thick portions 115, 117, and 118,in accordance with the invention, is placed on the hard surface and theball bearings are dropped from the standard height, one would expect areduction in rebound height to correspond with a degree of vibrationreduction. This is because a portion of the impact energy of the ballbearing is absorbed and distributed by the vibration reducing thickportions. In addition, to the extent that the downward force of the ballbearing is not only stopped but accelerated upwardly, the force exertedon the wearer's hand would correspond to the sum of the force that theball bearing had when it contacted the glove panel and the forcerequired to redirect the ball bearing upward, away from the panel. Wherethe ball bearing rebounds to a lesser height the total force supplied bythe glove (and, in fact, by the hand behind the glove which supports theglove panel) is therefore reduced. In testing it was found that therewas a significant and substantial reduction of the rebound height of asteel ball bearing when dropped from a standardized height onto a glovepanel including a thick vibration reducing portion constructed inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention as compared to astandard leather glove without such vibration reduction technology.Accordingly, there is clear evidence that the vibration reducing thickleather placed at critical points of contact actually reduced the forcetransmitted to the wearer's hand whether vibration, shock or othertransient force.

Accordingly, an improved vibration reducing golf glove incorporatingimproved vibration reducing thick leather portions at criticallocations, which do not interfere with the feel and wear of the glove,is provided.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent in the preceding description, are efficiently obtained and,since certain changes may be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative, and not in alimiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention, hereindescribed and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

1. A vibration reducing golf glove, comprising: a thin leather frontpanel of the glove, for covering the inner portion of a wearer's handand fingers: a thin leather back panel of the glove for covering theouter portion of a wearer's hand and fingers; a thumb section coupled tothe front panel for covering the wearer's thumb; vibration reducingmeans coupled to the interior of the front panel and constituting aminimum of sixty percent of the front panel area; the vibration reducingmeans including thick leather palm, thumb and finger portions, whereinthe thick leather portions have a thickness of about three to five timesthe thickness of the thin leather panels; the thick leather portions aresewn to the thin leather portions on an inside surface thereof; and thefinger portion including an index finger having vibration reducing meansextending around the finger to include a portion of the back panel,whereby the vibration reducing golf glove provides a reduction in thevibration and shock transmitted to the wearer's hand at the time a shockor vibration is applied to the outer surface of the glove.
 2. Thevibration reducing golf glove of claim 1, wherein the front panel, backpanel and thumb section of the glove is formed from leather tanned inaccordance with a tanning process.
 3. The vibration reducing golf gloveof claim 2, wherein the vibration reducing means is formed of deer, elkor moose skin tanned in accordance with the process used for tanning theleather used in the front panel, thumb section and back panel.
 4. Thevibration reducing golf glove of claim 4, wherein the front panel, backpanel, and thumb section are formed from a lightweight synthetic leatherwith deer, elk or moose leather as the vibration reducing means.
 5. Thevibration reducing golf glove of claim 1, wherein the vibration reducingmeans also includes portions of deer, elk or moose skins having athickness.
 6. The vibration reducing golf glove of claim 1, wherein thethickness of the vibration reducing means is between 0.9 mm to 1.2 mm.7. The vibration reducing golf glove of claim 1, wherein the palm panel,thumb section and back panel are formed of a synthetic leather and thevibration reducing means include deer, elk or moose leather inner pads.8. The vibration reducing golf glove of claim 1 wherein the glove hasvibration reducing means covering seventy percent of the front panel. 9.The vibration reducing golf glove of claim 1 wherein the palm panel,thumb section and back panel are formed of a graphite impregnatedleather and the vibration reducing means include deer, elk or mooseleather.
 10. The vibration reducing golf glove of claim 1, wherein theback panel includes an elastic strip coupled to the back panel over aknuckle area of the glove.
 11. The vibration reducing golf glove ofclaim 10, wherein the glove include elastic side panels.